Oracle DROP TABLE IF EXISTS Alternatives

The very useful DROP TABLE IF EXISTS syntax was finally introduced in Oracle Database – Oracle Database 23c to be precise. This syntax allows us to run a DROP TABLE statement without getting an error if the table doesn’t exist.

Earlier versions of Oracle don’t support the IF EXISTS clause. Therefore, if we want to avoid any nasty errors resulting from trying to drop a non-existent table, we need to do a bit of extra work.

Below are three options for dropping a table if it exists in Oracle.

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How to Create a Table Only if it Doesn’t Exist in PostgreSQL

In PostgreSQL, you can use the IF NOT EXISTS clause of the CREATE TABLE statement to check whether or not a table of the same name already exists in the database before creating it.

The table will only be created if no other table exists with the same name. If a table already exists with that name, a “notice” will be issued instead of an error.

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